<p>China's censors scrambled to wipe out online debate over its zero-Covid strategy on Wednesday after the World Health Organisation (WHO) criticised the country's hardline approach to crushing the virus.</p>.<p>China is the last major economy glued to a zero-Covid policy and enforces some of the most stringent virus controls anywhere in the world.</p>.<p>Those restrictions have trapped most of Shanghai's 25 million people in a lockdown with no clear end date, while Beijing has also gradually coralled many of its residents indoors as it battles its biggest outbreak since the pandemic began.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/who-chief-says-chinas-zero-covid-policy-not-sustainable-1108125.html" target="_blank">WHO chief says China's zero-Covid policy not 'sustainable'</a></strong></p>.<p>On Tuesday WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged China to change tack, saying the approach "will not be sustainable" in the face of new fast-spreading variants.</p>.<p>The intervention prompted China's army of internet censors to race to snuff out his comments.</p>.<p>Searches for the hashtags "#Tedros#" and "#who#" on the popular Weibo social media platform displayed no results, while users of the WeChat app were unable to share an article posted on an official United Nations account.</p>.<p>A social media hashtag about the WHO's comments, which had been a rallying point for lively online discussion, appeared to have been blocked by mid-morning.</p>.<p>Before they were expunged from the internet, comments had questioned zero-Covid, with one saying "even the WHO's Tedros has now changed his stance".</p>.<p>Another wrote: "Will our government listen to the WHO director general's recommendations?"</p>.<p>Virus controls are causing mounting anger and frustration, especially in Shanghai where residents have raged against seemingly endless lockdowns, spartan quarantine facilities and heavy-handed enforcement.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/go-home-covid-hit-shanghai-beijing-tell-residents-to-avoid-social-contacts-1107672.html" target="_blank">'Go home!': Covid-hit Shanghai, Beijing tell residents to avoid social contacts</a></strong></p>.<p>The city has witnessed repeated protests and violent scuffles with police, rare images which have pinballed across social media before censors can catch up.</p>.<p>The ruling Communist Party says its virus strategy places life before material concerns and has averted the public health crises seen in other nations.</p>.<p>Abandoning zero-Covid and allowing Omicron to rip across the country could result in 1.6 million deaths, according to a paper published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature by researchers at Shanghai's Fudan University.</p>.<p>Health officials have said vaccination rates are low among the elderly and warn rural health facilities risk collapse under an Omicron surge.</p>.<p>On Monday, vice-premier Sun Chunlan reminded disease control officials of the political imperatives attached to zero-Covid.</p>.<p>It is necessary to "create the conditions for the victorious convening of the 20th Party Congress", she said, according to state news agency <em>Xinhua</em>.</p>.<p>The twice-a-decade conclave scheduled for later this year is expected to see President Xi Jinping secure an unprecedented third consecutive term as the leader of the world's number two economy.</p>.<p>Discussing Beijing's zero-Covid strategy on Tuesday, Tedros said WHO experts "don't think that it's sustainable, considering the behaviour of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future".</p>.<p>Hu Xijin, the influential former editor of Chinese state tabloid Global Times, slammed the comments in a message to his 24 million Weibo followers, saying "in the end, the WHO's attitude isn't important".</p>
<p>China's censors scrambled to wipe out online debate over its zero-Covid strategy on Wednesday after the World Health Organisation (WHO) criticised the country's hardline approach to crushing the virus.</p>.<p>China is the last major economy glued to a zero-Covid policy and enforces some of the most stringent virus controls anywhere in the world.</p>.<p>Those restrictions have trapped most of Shanghai's 25 million people in a lockdown with no clear end date, while Beijing has also gradually coralled many of its residents indoors as it battles its biggest outbreak since the pandemic began.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/who-chief-says-chinas-zero-covid-policy-not-sustainable-1108125.html" target="_blank">WHO chief says China's zero-Covid policy not 'sustainable'</a></strong></p>.<p>On Tuesday WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged China to change tack, saying the approach "will not be sustainable" in the face of new fast-spreading variants.</p>.<p>The intervention prompted China's army of internet censors to race to snuff out his comments.</p>.<p>Searches for the hashtags "#Tedros#" and "#who#" on the popular Weibo social media platform displayed no results, while users of the WeChat app were unable to share an article posted on an official United Nations account.</p>.<p>A social media hashtag about the WHO's comments, which had been a rallying point for lively online discussion, appeared to have been blocked by mid-morning.</p>.<p>Before they were expunged from the internet, comments had questioned zero-Covid, with one saying "even the WHO's Tedros has now changed his stance".</p>.<p>Another wrote: "Will our government listen to the WHO director general's recommendations?"</p>.<p>Virus controls are causing mounting anger and frustration, especially in Shanghai where residents have raged against seemingly endless lockdowns, spartan quarantine facilities and heavy-handed enforcement.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/go-home-covid-hit-shanghai-beijing-tell-residents-to-avoid-social-contacts-1107672.html" target="_blank">'Go home!': Covid-hit Shanghai, Beijing tell residents to avoid social contacts</a></strong></p>.<p>The city has witnessed repeated protests and violent scuffles with police, rare images which have pinballed across social media before censors can catch up.</p>.<p>The ruling Communist Party says its virus strategy places life before material concerns and has averted the public health crises seen in other nations.</p>.<p>Abandoning zero-Covid and allowing Omicron to rip across the country could result in 1.6 million deaths, according to a paper published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature by researchers at Shanghai's Fudan University.</p>.<p>Health officials have said vaccination rates are low among the elderly and warn rural health facilities risk collapse under an Omicron surge.</p>.<p>On Monday, vice-premier Sun Chunlan reminded disease control officials of the political imperatives attached to zero-Covid.</p>.<p>It is necessary to "create the conditions for the victorious convening of the 20th Party Congress", she said, according to state news agency <em>Xinhua</em>.</p>.<p>The twice-a-decade conclave scheduled for later this year is expected to see President Xi Jinping secure an unprecedented third consecutive term as the leader of the world's number two economy.</p>.<p>Discussing Beijing's zero-Covid strategy on Tuesday, Tedros said WHO experts "don't think that it's sustainable, considering the behaviour of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future".</p>.<p>Hu Xijin, the influential former editor of Chinese state tabloid Global Times, slammed the comments in a message to his 24 million Weibo followers, saying "in the end, the WHO's attitude isn't important".</p>